THE FARMERS' UNION" AND MESSRS LILL AND LEADLEY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXI, Issue 6208, 2 March 1904, Page 2

THE FARMERS' UNION" AND MESSRS LILL AND LEADLEY.

TO THE ■EDITOR,

Sir,—l was very much astonished to read in your report of tha proceedings of the Farmers' Union at its meeting last Saturday that Mr Lill had said, in referring to a letter written by Mr Laurenson, M.H.R., in which the opinion was expressed that Mr Henry George would yet be honoured throughout the world, that a man who talked like that was not worth arguing with. Herein Mr Lill was not speaking in the capacity of a private citizen, but as & representative of the Farmers' Union, and hence he is bound, when his statement is questioned, to give his grounds for publicly making a statement of this nature. I hereby question the accuracy of Mr Lill's statement, and thus early will venture to assert that the real facts are the other way about, namely, that Mr Laurenson, M.H.R., knows perfectly well what he "speaks about, aud that the real literary hoodlum in this connection is no other than Mr Lill him" self. I ask for the grounds on which Mr Lill based his statement. Mr George Leadley added that Mr Henry George had s repudiated all his views before he died. Mr George's views of public matters are mainly set forth iu<his works " Progress and Poverty," " Protection and Free Trade," and "Social Problems". I ask Mr Leadley to state when and where and how Mr Henry George repudiated the views set forth iv these works. Mr Leadley as representative of the Farmers' Union, the alleged friend of the struggling farmers, of the labourer, and of the poor, will see that he is bound to satisfy this public enquiry or stand before the public;, with Mr Lill as literary hoodlum No 2. I think the pair would make an amusing combination or literary Siamese twins, useful only to raise a laugh when the public is in a lnood for amu.sem.ent.—l am, etc.,

John McKeague.